Character AI is a website where people can create and interact with a varied number of AI chatbots. These chatbots include everything from an AI brainstormer to user-generated AI girlfriends, so everything (albeit not really everything) is possible with Character AI.
This ability to create AI chatbots freely and at random is part of what makes Character AI so special. However, it also raises many concerns: Is the app safe for children? Does it allow for explicit images? Will my personal data and chatbot comments be used against me?
If these questions have been keeping you awake at night (especially if you’re the parent of young children), you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide to Character AI’s safety, we have all the answers you need.
Is Character AI Safe? (Quick Answer)
- Yes, Character AI is a safe platform with a strict privacy policy and excellent content guidelines designed to eliminate virtually all unsafe content from the website.
- But no, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to stumble upon unsafe content. Because Character AI’s moderators are not perfect, you may see some suggestive NSFW chatbots on very rare occasions.
- So, yes, your children can use Character AI, but you should probably look over their shoulders while they do it to make sure nothing unexpected happens.
What is Character AI?
Character AI is a website where people can create AI chatbots and interact with a huge list of previously generated ones. These include native Character AI chatbots (such as Gym Assistant), but also user-generated chats concerning virtually any topic one can think of.
The general idea is that Character AI is a web portal for finding all imaginable AI chatbots, spanning from bots that help you learn a new language to in-chat AI games. Meanwhile, thousands of silly, useful, and sometimes weird user-generated bots are also available.
These user-generated AI characters, often posing as virtual boyfriends and fetish-driven simulations, are what fundamentally raise concerns regarding Character AI’s safety, especially among parents who’d like to protect their children online.
This, however, doesn’t mean that Character AI is in any way an adults-only app. If you’re expecting to find NSFW AI chatbots there, you will be disappointed. Unlike GirlfriendGPT or Spicychat AI, Character AI is modeled and marketed as an SFW mainstream online service.
Proof of Character AI’s stepping into the mainstream is the fact that some of their most popular chatbots hit more than 25 million messages. Additionally, the guys behind the website have also strived to make it safer and more inclusive to children.
What Makes Character AI Safe?
Before investigating whether Character AI’s chatbots are (1) SFW and (2) safe for children, we need to look at the broader safety features of the website. These relate, mainly, to their privacy policy and content guidelines, but also to how they train their AI models.
1. Thorough Content Guidelines
Remember when I told you that everything was possible with Character AI? Fortunately, that’s not exactly the case. The app has a zero-tolerance policy toward unsafe user-generated content, banning all AI chatbots containing:
- Any form of cyberbullying or harassment;
- Misinformation;
- Hate speech;
- Pornographic content;
- Abuse of minors;
- Self-harm promotion;
- Crime and terrorism promotion;
- Illegal activities of any kind (such as drug selling);
- Deepfakes (a crucial issue in the rise of AI companions).
To ensure the AI chatbots they have created stay on the website, Character AI users must comply thoroughly with these content guidelines. They manage to do so with the help of automation and proper content moderation processes.
2. Constant Content Moderation
Character AI is constantly reviewing new user-generated AI chatbots to ensure they comply with all user guidelines. Their in-app policing is achieved through four different methods:
- Moderation team: Character AI has a Trust & Safety team made up of flesh-and-bone moderators who constantly examine the website, looking for unsafe content.
- User reports: When a user stumbles upon unsafe content, he or she is free to let Character AI’s moderators know.
- Automated tools: These tools include proprietary software that can identify and remove unsafe content automatically from Character AI.
- DMCA takedowns: Any time copyright infringement is detected, Character AI will remove it under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, also known as DMCA.
Character AI’s no-nonsense approach to content moderation is what ensures that user guidelines are being followed, contributing to making the website much safer and cleaner.
3. Strict Privacy Policy
Privacy policies are fundamental for ensuring a web service is going to treat your data right, but they can be a nuisance. Some are so preposterously long that they can hit over one million words! Naturally, nobody has got time for that…
Can we sum up Character AI’s Privacy Policy in less than one million words, though? For sure. So you don’t have to waste hours reading this lengthy (and assumedly tedious) document, I have summarized the fundamentals in just a few lines:
- Character AI puts users in control of their data by allowing them to delete all sensitive personal information with a simple request;
- Character AI carefully monitors data shared by users to identify any potential privacy violations;
- Apart from standard Internet providers, Character AI never shares user data; it is only used to improve the user’s experience, not for commercial purposes.
All things considered, Character AI’s take on user privacy seems to be standard at minimum, and above average if we consider they don’t share user data with third parties for advertisement purposes.
4. Safe AI Model Training
For AI chatbots to work, they need to be trained first. AI model training is an essential part of what drives Character AI, and it’s reassuring to know that they prioritize safety over any other feature in their model-training processes.
In addition to fine-tuning models for improved conversational features, the guys behind Character AI also serve it with an additional safety overlay. This overlay is put in place to ensure the app’s AI chatbots never stray away from the content guidelines described above.
What Makes Character AI Not Safe?
Character AI is as safe as any other mainstream service on the web, but that doesn’t mean it’s always safe. For users, the main concern is that some of the AI chatbots in the platform may include NSFW content that can put grown-ups in trouble (especially if they’re at work) or downright traumatize children.
For the most part, Character AI is safe even for children. The website does not contain a built-in AI image nude generator, and explicit images are simply not supported. That, however, doesn’t mean Character AI doesn’t have any sort of erotic content.
I have searched “sex” in Character AI’s search bar and stumbled upon a few AI chatbots exploring the topic. Luckily, though, most of these chats were already inactive by the time I opened them. And while they did have suggestive and provocative avatars of Hentai AIs, that was pretty much it.
In sum, what makes Character AI unsafe is that, even though it is highly unlikely that you will ever find NSFW content there, that possibility cannot be fully excluded.
NSFW Alternatives to Character AI
In the odd event that you’re reading this because you think Character AI is too safe, you’ll be happy to know that NSFW alternatives abound. Crushon AI, for example, looks almost like an adults-only version of the app and is run by a vibrant user community as well.
For more NSFW alternatives to Character AI, please check the following Tity comparisons:
- Best AI girlfriend apps: For creating and chatting with custom AI girlfriends who are never afraid of getting down and dirty;
- Best AI boyfriend apps: The same as the best AI girlfriend apps, but for male characters;
- Best AI porn chats: For engaging in steamy, no-boundaries discussions with custom AI chatbots aimed at adult audiences;
- Best sex chat apps: For no-limits sexting with AI characters specifically trained for talking about sex.
Finally, don’t forget to check out our comprehensive guide on apps that look like Character AI.
Is Character AI Safe For Children? The Bottom Line
The bottom line is: Character AI is safe for children, but some parental control is advised. There’s a tiny chance that some unsafe content may slip through the website’s moderators, but that with seldom (if ever) occur.
To test the limits of Character AI, I decided to search for an AI girlfriend chatbot and talk with her about sex. To my surprise, she never really listened to what I was saying, reacting shyly and even awkwardly to each of my dirty-talk attempts.
This experience assured me that, even if minors try to use Character AI as a dirty talk AI, they won’t get very far. For this reason, parents can rest assured knowing that their children aren’t getting ahead of themselves while having fun on Character AI.
Additionally, Character AI seems to have fewer and fewer girlfriend/sex-oriented AI chatbots, meaning even users are already picking up on what the website is supposed to be: a friendly and safe AI playing ground for everyone, from young to old, to enjoy.
Is Character AI Safe? (FAQ)
What is Character AI?
Character AI is a platform where users can create custom AI chatbots and engage with thousands of chats generated either by Character AI or other users.
What makes Character AI safe?
They have thorough and finely monitored user guidelines, they have a standard but safe privacy policy, and they train their models using safety overlays that stick to their guidelines.
What’s not so safe about Character AI?
Character AI allows users to create their own AI chatbots, and some may be focused on more adult-oriented topics. For this reason, using Character AI may be slightly unsafe for children.
Can children use Character AI?
Character AI is becoming safer and it’s, broadly speaking, safe from children. However, due to the unlikely possibility of some NSFW content popping up on the platform, some level of parental control is always advised.
What should I do if I see unsafe content in Character AI?
You should report the content to Character AI’s moderators so it can be removed from the website.
Carolina Rodrigues
From Brazil to the US, ex-model Carolina Rodrigues turns OnlyFans expertise into Tity investigative articles, loves AI, gaming, and films.
